Christmas in Germany    
 
                                        
There are many different ways of how to celebrate Christmas in the world, and some of them seem to be typically German, which doesn't mean much, as the world wide community gets closer day by day.
Of course, we know about Santa Claus, but in Germany, there is also another person to deliver gifts and presents.

You will learn more about it below!

   

  1. Advent Sundays:

The four Sundays before Christmas Eve have a special significance. For every Sunday, you light a candle on your Advent wreath (see pic on the right). The wreath is normally made of small fir boughs and decorated with whatever symbols of Christmas are appropriate for the respective person.




  2. Advent Calendar:

At the start of December, children (and sometimes never grown-up adults like me) get their Advent calendars.

In the Advent Calender there is hidden a little surprise for every day from Dec. 1st to Dec. 24th which is to prepare you for the *bigger* presents you might get on Christmas Eve..

This can be a small picture for the most simple calendars, or some chocolate, some other sweets, or whatever the person who made the calendar wanted to surprise you with.



  3. Nikolaus:

I always wondered if Santa Claus might be the changed form of St. Nikolaus.
At least they seem to wear the same clothes.

On the sixth day of December, St. Nikolaus brings sweets for the good children, which he usually leaves in their boots, or if they haven't any suitably big ones, in nice decorated bags. A typical *Nikolaus bag* would contain nuts, fruits, some chocolate and cookies.

St. Nikolaus also has an assistant. His name is *Knecht Ruprecht*, who carries a rod of boughs. It is said that he will beat the bad and nasty children with it, if you haven't been well-behaved during the year. So it's either sweets or the rod.

Yet, as there are only good children around, Knecht Ruprecht almost never needs to use his rod.

 
4. Christmas Market:

In almost all German cities, there is a Christmas Market. Most seem to be bigger than the one in Witten.

But in Witten, there is huge Advent Calendar and the fairy tale huts, so ...

... take a look at the
Christmasmarket (2002) in Witten
and at other interesting sites.

 

 
5. Christmas:

In Germany, St. Nikolaus has already had a lot of work to do work by the time Christmas Eve is near. So there's someone else to take the Christmas presents to everyone.

It's the *Christkind* (Baby Jesus). Yet - and I absolutely haven't got the slightest idea why - Christkind is alwas portrayed as a little girl, looking like an angel!

But the best thing is, that Christkind does his/her work on Dec. 24th, in the afternoon, so that we really get our presents on that day, and not on the first Christmas Day. Apart from the individual christmas presents, most people get a special plate full of sweets and chocolate Nikolauses (again!)

Of course, most families have a nicely decorated christmas tree with candles and all kinds of glittering decoration
(see very cute picture to the right which is a little old, but should help to get a general impression).

Have a look at more Christmas Trees!

            

 

 

                                        

I hope you enjoyed this little excursion into
German Christmas traditions.

If you celebrate Christmas differently,
it would be great to learn more about it.

I'll incorporate your story into my Christmas-Site next year.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

         

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(c) 1999 - 2003 by Regina Vonrüden